Antioxidant Activity of Allium scorodoprasum L. subsp. rotundum (L.) STEARN Plant Grown in Turkey

Allium scorodoprasum L. subsp. rotundum (L.) STEARN is a medical and aromatic plant which grows naturally in various countries of the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the natural antioxidant content and antioxidant activity of Allium scorodoprasum L. subsp. rotundum (L.) STEARN plant, an Allium subspecies of the Alliaceae family. Plants which grow naturally in 7 different locations of 3 cities (Samsun, Nevşehir and Tokat) of Turkey were used in the study. The purpose of this study was to determine the natural antioxidant content and antioxidant capacity of wild leek plant, an Allium subspecies of the Alliaceae family, which grows in three different cities (Samsun, Nevşehir and Tokat). The material of the study consists of 42 wild leek samples from 7 different locations of Samsun, Tokat and Nevşehir. Some physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant features of both bulbs and leaves of samples were determined separately; allicin, an organosulfur compound, was specified qualitatively and thermal behaviours of the samples were monitored through TGA/DSC analysis. As a result of the analyses conducted, in the bulb and leaf parts of the samples, total phenolic matter values were 254.51-927.81 and 1929.05-19645.24 mg/kg, FRAP was 0.80-5.20 and 14.31-47.83 mM TE/g, DPPH free radical scavenger effect was 0.99-9.02 and 36.61-241.06 µmol TE/g and ascorbic acid content was 29.14-314.01 mg/kg and 200.64-1383.16 mg/kg, respectively. These data reveal that the leaf’s of A. scorodoprasum subsp. rotundum plants are rich in antioxidants. In conclusion, it was found that the antioxidant activity of the plants differs significantly in terms of the parts of the plant and growth location.